Two men arrested on charges of stealing metal for scrap

Two Callaway County men are facing charges of stealing after police alledge they took scrap metal for money.

Michael Ousley, 24 of Holts Summit, and William Figolah, 35 of New Bloomfield, were arrested on Dec. 31 after a follow-up investigation by a Callaway County Sheriff’s Office deputy.

According to investigator Lt. Clay Chism, an owner of a vacant property near County Road 480 and 487 (near Tebbetts) realized metal items were missing when he visited the property on Dec. 30 and called police. A deputy questioned local scrap dealers the next day and discovered the missing items at a local scrap business.

Based on evidence gathered through business documents and video, the sheriff’s office took Ousley and Figolah into custody. The sheriff’s office arrested Ousley near Holts Summit at the Evergreen Apartment complex around 2 p.m. Later, at 5:46 p.m., Figolah was arrested at the same apartment complex.

The Callaway County Sheriff’s Office is requesting felony stealing charges for both men. Those metal items, Chism said, are “lucrative to metal scrap thieves.” He added that about a half dozen items were stolen, totaling to about $650 in value.

Chism said the two men have a “distant relationship through a third party.”

Figolah was being held in Callaway County Jail on $4,500 but was released after posting bond and is a wanted fugitive of Cole County for a probation violation. Ousley was released on summons — meaning he was signed a document promising to appear on a scheduled court date. They are scheduled to be in court on Feb. 7.

The Callaway County Sheriff’s Office is investigating to see if the men are connected to other thefts in the county.